


Dreaming Awake

by mockingbirdtank



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Insomnia, Kidnapping, Nightmares, Rating Might Change, Romance, Slow Burn, Stockholm Syndrome, Timelines, at least it's slight for now, but sans isnt, monsters are underground, papyrus is too pure, reader is female with female parts, sans is slightly ooc, slight maid kink, so watch out, tags will be added as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:52:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6456667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mockingbirdtank/pseuds/mockingbirdtank
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You're the lucky one to end up stuck in an underground world amassed by monsters of all sizes and calibers. But one of them is different from the rest, in more than just one way. And maybe he too, can sense a little difference in you. Why else would he have chosen to kidnap you instead of kill you? Why else would he employ you as his maid instead of dragging you off to King Asgore to be slaughtered?</p><p>Oh yeah, and you're having bad dreams riddled with yellow flowers almost every night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wool Over your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> i promise this one will not disappear into the void after two chapters.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here we go

_Don't be so ignorant._  
  
_Like you have no idea what's going on.  
  
You know what this is. You know what this place is.  
  
Look at you. You look so silly when you’re puzzled like that.  
  
Your wasting both our time with this game of pretend.  
  
You feel something, here. Don't worry. I feel it, too.   
  
But, get this. I actually know what's causing that feeling. And I'm the only one who does.  
  
Are you afraid yet? Are you insecure?  
  
Hang on to that feeling of dread. It’s terrible. Like it could swallow you whole._  
   
_Hold it tight._  
  
_And ride it out for all it's worth.  
  
....  
  
It's for your own good.  
  
....  
  
Because in this world, it's killed.  
  
Or.  
  
Be.  
  
Killed._  
  
-  
One might say it's a tough claim to make that you've seen stranger things when you're in some unknown place far underground, knee-deep in packs of wild monsters.  
  
You pried yourself free from the warm embrace of a rather large goat woman you'd only just encountered that night. You had been in her arms for what might have been a very long time, confused, and yet somehow comforted, that someone was there for you as a friend. And though silly as it was, your bond seemed to extend beyond that. How a stranger could seem so much like a mother didn’t make a lick of sense. How her face could be so familiar and make your gut twist was nowhere within your comprehension.  
  
Now you two were standing, arms glued at your sides, glancing to one another before quietly departing. Your expression was quizzical, if not a bit grateful, that she was releasing you from the tethers of her home so you could venture onward alone. The gimmicky puzzles and rather harmless creatures riddled throughout her abode had quickly lost their allure. Her willingness to share a life with you, nurture you and teach you all the ways of snails was touching, but unwarranted. You couldn’t stay there. It just didn’t _feel_ right.  
  
She, on the other hand, was in disagreement with anything you might have insisted. She had a room prepared for you, even going so far as to bake a pie in celebration. This was all very serious to her.  
  
She looked down upon you with shiny eyes before dramatically turning on her heel and disappearing down the dim, magenta corridor, robes whipping her ankles all the way. She said nothing. She showed just as much.  
  
Toriel. She had said her name was Toriel. Caretaker of the Ruins, as this area was called.  
  
-  
  
_Come closer.  
  
You're curious. You’re hungry for answers. That's good, because you deserve your answers.  
  
Closer now, toward the pellets, yes. Just like that.  
  
Closer.  
  
Closer.  
  
...I said closer!_  
  
-  
  
Toriel had been the first docile creature you'd come across upon stepping into this new universe you had never known before. She had wanted to make a family out of you and her, where you would be together, safe, cut off from whatever horrors reigned in outer realms. When you insisted you could not stay, she attempted to trap you. When you refused to fight her, she finally left her worries in shambles. It ended with her reluctantly accepting the inevitable. You had to go.  
  
"I can only imagine what you must be thinking, child. I hope you haven’t formed some ill opinion of me because of this.  
  
“I just don't want it to be the same as it always is," she spoke in hushes, as if telling a secret. "I don't want you to get hurt out there. I wanted to keep you here, safe with me. I would never let danger come close to you. Not like how it happened before time and time again."  
  
What she meant by that, you hadn't pondered aloud, afraid it would tempt her to change her mind.   
  
Now you were on to bigger, and hopefully better things. Toriel's offenses toward you had been meekly assertive at best. All you had to show for the squabble was tussled hair, pockets full of candy, a slice of pie wrapped and stowed away in your backpack, and an outdated cell phone with only her number.  
  
Seriously, these parts were near archaic and yet they had _cell phones?_  
  
There was not much you could remember before awakening on a bed of yellow flowers, realizing with creeping uncertainty you were stuck in a strange world inhabited by all sorts of myths and monsters. You did not panic, or stir endlessly in fear, blurting all your questions into the obscenely dark environment. No, you had kept calm. Rational. It felt like a dream, though perhaps one you visited before. The experience was very much like walking into a room and forgetting the reason you'd come in to begin with. Nostalgia, maybe, was the right word.  
  
Looking up, you had found the apexes of snowcapped mountains, and a starry sky that seemed close enough to touch, yet remained out of reach. The only way to go, was forward. Down into the caves, where skies ceased to exist, time was lost to the cosmos, and creeping shadows swelled in every corner.  
  
Tired, and somewhat sore, presumably from the fall, you had begun your ascent through the darkness.  
  
And then you'd come across a flower.  
  
A very _mean_ flower.    
  
Appearances were deceiving, and that had never been more apparent before now.   
  
Your first thought had been something along the lines of...  
  
Huh. A flower. A flower that...talks?  
  
Though smiling and peeping gleeful melodies prior to you crossing his path, the one speck of brightness in an otherwise black oblivion had quickly become your enemy. He was tricky, conniving, carrying insatiable bloodlust and a yearning to splatter your innards across the daffodils you had risen from. If not for Toriel, you might have ended up dead then and there, rotting back into the earth within the planet’s deepest grave.  
  
_The pellets will help you! I promise.  
  
They'll give you what you want.  
  
I call them friendliness pellets. Isn’t that cute?  
  
They'll fill you with love. Even cuter!  
  
How could you not trust me?  
  
Hee…hee HEE._  
  
Now you were here. All you knew was your name, and the home in which you'd come. You could only remember your journey into this realm of fantasy in fragments. You knew you had scaled a mountain and fallen deep into a pit, a crevice split far into the earth wearing rumors too misty for you to recall. Why you had chosen to climb at all, and whether or not you'd fallen with intention or out of clumsiness, was all still a mystery. With such sparse recollections, you cursed yourself, realizing amnesia was plaguing you.  
  
Perhaps the flower was right. Answers would come with time. And you were in no shape to argue that you weren't deserving of them. Especially not with a flower.  
  
With milky fog falling from your lips in puffs, your ankles deep in slush, you walked slowly, dreading every crunch the soles of your feet made through the weathered ground as they cracked the silence like china. Your eyes swept side to side, shying away from the abstract darkness. The trees were plentiful here, so much so that they all bled together, forming long sheets of impenetrable shadow. You watched your shoes, thoughts dancing without rhythm. It was murky down here. The air was far from fresh.  
  
It didn't take long for you to catch on that something... _someone_ was following you.  
  
You wanted to still, and listen closely.  
   
_Hm?_  
  
_No,_ you tried assuring yourself. _I'm only paranoid, which is fair. It's dark, discomforting, and I'm alone. It's natural to think up things that aren't real when it's like this._  
  
Your assurances flatlined almost immediately. Footsteps scurried tauntingly out of sync with yours, remaining distant, but never _too_ distant. You took deep, rattling breaths. If you ignored them, maybe they would go away?  
  
_I can't believe this! I barely cleared Toriel's home, and already something's found me and is hunting me down?_  
  
When they persisted, you grew impatient and finally braved a single glance over your shoulder, finding nothing there. At least, nothing you could see.  
  
And then you were running. The snowy path felt endless, the winter merciless, when coupled with the knowledge that a monster was closing in tight on your tail. You flew forward, staggering, and then noticing a bridge before you.   
  
You would have reached the wooden bars if you hadn't fallen flat on your face, snow assaulting every inch of you.  
  
Indeed, clumsy as usual.   
  
Maybe this was how you'd gotten here.  
  
Your mind was filled with roaming, forbidden words. You hissed in pain, flipping over, clawing backward, and shoveling handfuls of frost all the while. Your follower was no longer hiding, making it so that you were aware of their presence as they gained on you in a fashion much slower than before, and even slurred in away.  
  
Your back hit the start of the bridge. Unable to rationalize rushing past it while you still had the chance, you cowered, hiding your face with trembling palms. Something about this monster was different from the others. He wasn't a Toriel, nor was he one of the unusual frogs littered throughout her mansion. Compliments probably wouldn't win you this fight. His aura was menacing. Maybe even more so than the flower.  
  
"Don't kill me..." you whispered hastily, worried that your voice had been lost.  
  
Pacing stalled.  
  
"...kill you?"  
  
He was before you now. His voice was male, deep and hushed. It was late, and therefore annoyingly dark, so you could not make out what part of his figure belonged to him or the  cavern overhead.  
  
A silence passed between the two of you, before a hum bounced somewhere within his throat.  
  
"You probably can't see, but I'm holding my hand out right now. I'd wager that isn't anything too malicious. At least it's nothing that could kill you."  
  
You squinted through a wash of snow floating about in the breeze, feeling it grab hold of your eyelashes.  
  
"...Huh?"  
  
"here, let me help you up."  
  
In came the internal conflict. Your eyes darted around, desperately trying to find an alternate route out. An escape. Only to your horror, you found nothing worth grappling.  
  
"...No..."  
  
"'no'? what do you mean?"  
  
"...I mean...er," you bit back a swear. You couldn’t afford to anger him. He had a clear advantage over you. What if he killed you for being stubborn?  
  
With a sigh and correlating twisted expression, you held your breath and latched out, finding his hand almost instantly. You barely had time to register just how freezing cold and HARD the texture of it was, before his fingers molded into the dips between your frosted knuckles, and suddenly an orb of light burst beneath his chin, giving form and distortion to his already shocking features.  
  
"boo."  
  
"AAAHH!" you yanked yourself away, scrambling, kicking up kilos of snow while the monster chortled at your display.  
  
It took time for it to sink in that he was holding a flashlight. The shadows it formed were deep and concave, creating some sort of beastly illusion. All you could really tell at first was he was wearing a large grin, until he pulled it away and held it from him at a wider angle, shattering said illusion. The grin was still there, but he was much less threatening this way.  
  
Though not by much.  
  
"sorry pal, i couldn't resist. you made it way too easy," he said in between snickers. "i know that was extremely rude of me but i have an ongoing streak these days."  
  
You gawked at him, mouth hanging.  
  
He was a...  
  
"oho man," he sighed, drifting downward from his high. "this was almost better than the whoopee cushion."  
  
a...  
  
"you should have seen your face."  
  
...skeleton?  
  
A short skeleton, it was worth noting. Most definitely shorter than you. He was also stout, which didn't make too much sense given he was structured completely with bones, or so you assumed. His middle was large, covered by a white turtleneck shirt while the rest of him was stowed away beneath the comfort of a thick blue parka, the hood of which was pulled over his head. It was rimmed by fur that only barely touched his face.  
  
"here, let's try this again, no jokes," he pressed, reaching toward you once more, fingers splayed. It was then that you noticed he had pupils. Tiny white dots to show where exactly he was looking. A.k.a _. at you._  
  
"name's sans. sans the skeleton."  
  
Your brows lifted. When some time passed, he moved his arm closer, his smile slackening ever so slightly.  
  
"you see, how this works is you take my hand, i help you up, and then i shake your hand at the same time. this will effectively knock out two goals in one sprint. i'd say it's fool-proof, but i also say a lot of things that aren't exactly backed by science."  
  
"I-I..." your eyes fluttered. "....what...how...?"  
  
Somehow, meeting this guy was more jarring than meeting Toriel. Or an evil flower, even. Something about him made so much less sense, if that were possible.  
  
"how?" he chuckled. "it's simple. i pull your weight up off the snow, so you can then stand and we can make this introduction formal and stuff. unless of course you weigh a ton."  
  
"...Excuse me-" you tried to say before he cut you off.  
  
"a skele-ton."  
  
Somewhere deep in your brain, every perceivable atom groaned in horrified unison. Your face changed to show visible disgust. The prank with the flashlight had already been on another level but this method of ridicule was borderline cruel.  
  
"Look, uh...S-Sa...hn...skeleton," you spat awkwardly, not yet finding the strength to get up. "I've been having a bit of a rough time. I only barely escaped this mansion where every room was painted in pink. Even the carpets. There were spiders hosting a bake sale. I flirted with a ghost...you could say this night's been long for me. So if you would please-"  
  
"of course i'm not insinuating you're fat or anything," he corrected himself, as if he hadn't heard you. "because if i did, then you would probably have a bone to pick with me."  
  
"Oh god please stop," you droned, wincing, shaking your head at the ground. "please, I'll do anything."  
  
"anything? Well then, that's easy. it stops when you let me help you up, kid."  
  
Deal. Even if you weren't too fond of being called 'kid.' Or touching a skeleton's hand for that matter.  
  
You pushed aside your pride and grabbed a hold of him for the second time. The skeleton... _Sans_...took a massive step back, giving you an encouraging pull while you carefully lifted your legs from the snow and stood. Now you were the one peering down at him. He still hadn't dropped his grin. Though, being without lips, it was most likely impossible for him to do anything but.  
  
You tensed when he bounced your hand up and down in greeting. The feeling of raw bone on your flesh made you shiver.  
  
"Hi...uhm, Sans," you said quietly, brow twisting. Sans' head tilted, the motion of your arms reaching a standstill.  
  
"something the matter?" he asked.  
  
Oh boy, where did you even begin?  
  
Rather than providing a response, you meekly coughed and then looked away from him. Your panic bloated when you realized his grip wasn't loosening. Surely he knew how handshakes worked. He was the one who explained it to you. He should know they were meant to end eventually.  
  
"Why were you following me?" you blurted.  
  
You expected the smaller skeleton to be caught off guard by your blunt questioning, but somehow his lack of any real reaction made you feel like ice, weather notwithstanding.  
  
"i'm a sentry," he said matter-of-factly. “a sentry of the forest. you know what that means, right? what sentries do, how they operate and stuff?”  
  
"...Riiiiight, I do. So, uhm, I guess that means you're always scoping this path out here. Day in…and day out..." you quirked a brow. "Nothing unusual about you being here tonight or anything."  
  
"correct."  
  
"Even though you were being incredibly sneaky..."  
  
"how else was I going to pop up and pull the wool over your eyes?"  
  
"Uh," you swallowed, "what exactly are you trying to find in a place like this? As a sentry I mean." You could feel nervousness weighing your mouth down, and bringing your eyes to a bulge. Sans didn't answer immediately, not before taking a breath, somehow moving the bone around his eyes downward to mimic the fashion of closing them.  
  
"that's easy. Humans."  
  
The word left his mouth cold, acidic, toxic enough to melt the surrounding snow. Fear struck through to your heart. When his sockets flew open once more, you found the pair of small lights in them had been lost.   
  
"A N D   Y O U ' R E    J U S T    W H A T    W E ' V E    B E E N    L O O K I N G    F O R."  
  
Where an already questionable skeleton once was, now stood an unmistakable threat. It occurred to you then that Sans was indeed a monster, now more than ever. Before you could scream, or attempt to flee even if it meant losing your hand, Sans had summoned a large burlap sack, perhaps out of thin air, and thrown it over your person. The cloth pressed around your body tight, restricting your movements right as they transcended into terrified thrashing.  
  
"did i already mention pulling the wool over your eyes?" he laughed.  
  
"W-What are you doing?! Stop it! Please!" you shrieked, kicking with as much room as you could suffice. You cried out when you felt your body leave the ground, flipping over and then landing draped across a cushioned shoulder.  
  
"oh man," Sans' voice drawled from beside you. It made you sick to your stomach, hearing just how pleased with himself he was.  
  
"papyrus will be so excited about _this."_  
  
And thus, the two of you crossed the bridge together. But all you could go off of was the sound of his feet pattering the wood, for you were unable to see, and any sounds that might have littered the crossing were obstructed by your pleas.  
  
Where you were going, how it would end, and why it was happening was all a grand mystery to you.  
  
Perhaps the flower was right.  
  
You deserved your answers.  
  
But unfortunately it looked like you were getting not a single one any time soon.


	2. Sansta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet the cinammon roll skeleton.

If someone had bothered you the day before today to tell you that soon you'd be swept off your feet, trapped in the pits of some sort of hell, a paradox in its own right given the copious amounts of snow, at the mercy of a skeleton who made ridiculously awful jokes, you would've told them they were absolutely bonkers.  
  
But alas, here you were. Minutes were ticking by and not a single one traversed easier than the last. No matter what solution you pried for, or obstacle you planned to turn on its head, escape was nowhere within your range of grasp. Reality assured you that, regrettably, it was to stay that way. At least for now.  
  
It became evident to you very quickly that Sans here was not going to let you go. Begging was not enough to persuade him. Perhaps you could bargain him? You didn't have any money, but what if he was interested in the sweets you still had in your pockets? Did skeletons eat? _Could_ they? Where would food even go? Oh, forget that idea. It was doomed to crash and burn from the start.  
  
Somewhere amidst your muffled, and significantly weakened screams, a fleck of snow, dust, _something_ lodged itself inside your nasal cavity and elicited a very dramatic sneeze.  
  
"bless you," said Sans, who finally broke his silence only to be mockingly polite. You were revolted. You could hear the smile bleeding through his words. Before you were given enough time to retaliate, he continued.  
  
"of all the humans in the world, aren't you glad that ah-choose-d you?"  
  
If you weren't scared out of your wits, you would have found that kind of joke worthy of a deadpan glare followed by slow clapping, maybe even paired alongside a sarcastic _congratulations._ But now was not the time or place. You knew this, while Sans remained without such concept.  
  
"Let me out of here already!" you yelled, not wasting any time while you had his attention. "I don't know who you are, or what you want, but I can't let you do this to me! It isn't fair! I wasn't bothering anyone, I made sure not to hurt a single soul! I was just trying to-"  
  
"yeah yeah yeah, quit your fussin'. i heard you the first time," he hushed you. "you're innocent. you want out. blah blah blah. Same song different dance, you know?"   
  
This left you fuming.  
  
"Then why won't you stop and listen? None of this is ideal, you stupid, skeletal-"  
  
"shhhh," he overlapped you with admitted flawlessness, leaving you to growl.  
  
"No! I'm not going to SHHH." And that was indeed true. For all you knew this could be a matter of life or death. Who were you to go down quietly?  
  
"oh yes you are," Sans insisted, "we're in Snowdin now and there are lots of civilians around here. we wouldn't want to alarm them or anything."  
  
Snowed _what?_

  
_Oh, like hell we wouldn't!_  
  
You were ready to scream, and scream hard, turn every head in the general vicinity if it meant a chance at freedom. Sans seemed to read right through you and what you were plotting, for suddenly the bag seemed to grow even more finite around your body, to the point of suffocation. Whether he'd merely drawn the end tighter or somehow manipulated the webbings of the universe just to pull off such a measly stunt, you weren't certain, but either way you were still left floundering, both mentally and physically, as air became limited.  
  
When Sans spoke to you, his voice was brought down to a whisper.  
  
"just keep your cool. my house is up ahead, and once we're in there you can yell at me 'til kingdoms crumble, if that’s what you really want. if you can keep your cool 'til then, you'll make all of this a whole lot easier. not just for me, but for you too."  
  
Though you'd previously dubbed the skeleton as nothing more than a hostile joker, something about the way he instructed you now was a touch more serious, and maybe even sympathetic. It was not a threat. In fact, it came across as a suggestion at best. And though you were in no mood to cooperate with someone who was capturing you, you had even less strength to argue and put yourself in a worst spot than you already were.  
  
You didn't even retort with a simple _Fine_. You kept your mouth thinly pursed, and your limbs rigid like a wax statue. As Sans traveled onward, you noticed a shift in atmosphere, even from within the confines of a woven sack. There were indeed people spotted all around, each of them either transfixed in conversation or alone and minding their own business, perhaps making comments to their unseen, unanswering pets. That would explain the random passing exclamation of, "Who's a good boy? Go fetch the snowflake! Yes, that’s a good boy!"  
  
Where were you.  
  
You tensed when someone actually called out to Sans, supposedly waving him over from afar.  
  
"Oh hey, Sans! I figured you were out in the woods again since your station was empty. Your shift over already? Why not come over to Grillby's with me and the fellas?"  
  
Before Sans could answer, another bypasser called from elsewhere.   
  
"Sans, hi! Whatcha got there with you? Oh my, it looks heavy!"  
  
You noticed the skeleton's pace seemed to change somewhat, but it was not due to any speed-related input. You deduced he was lifting a hand to wave back to some of his, erm, friends, because suddenly you felt uneasy, like you could fall at any moment.  
  
"just something special i caught for papyrus. it's a surprise, though. so don't tell anybody."  
  
You resisted the urge to grumble a million bad things under your tongue. What a grouchy surprise you were.  
  
As Sans coursed through what you could only assume was a living, breathing town, and not just some place isolated in the middle of nowhere like Toriel's home, you felt the chance to call for help slowly diminishing in the distance. You fought against chasing after it in hopes of retrieval. You decided it was in your best interest to do what Sans' had told you to, and avoid conflict at all costs.

  
"Grillby's later, though?" a voice from before asked, though now farther behind.  
  
"definitely," Sans answered. "i'll be there within the hour."  
  
Seriously, what exactly was a Grillby's?  
  
And...within the hour? Just what on earth was going to happen to you in that short of time? Would you be dead? Alive but seriously hurt? And who was this Papyrus and how did he fit into the equation? This was the second time he'd been mentioned in the last ten minutes.  
  
Far before your array of questions could humor hitting any bullseyes, you found the familiar crunch of snow beneath Sans' feet had vanished. You turned your head slowly, taking in a short gulp of air. Suddenly there was the sound of a door being opened. Sans' footsteps were now hitting polished wood. The air was warmer, and what little light existed beyond the burlap sack had grown thrice in intensity.   
  
You could only gawk at the direction of a ceiling, and when you registered the sound of a door slamming behind you, you resisted the urge to grab handfuls of the material from the inside and claw your way through it to see for yourself what was going on. No need, though, as Sans was already in the process of unceremoniously overturning the bag and dumping you atop the cold hard floor. You landed gracelessly on your rump, squinting beneath the bright lights of your new environment before you flung your head about in confusion.  
  
It was a house. Not unlike Toriel's, and maybe even not much unlike your own, though those details were still a bit foggy. There were scattered essentials found in just about every normal home: a fireplace, a sofa, tv set, a staircase leading to the second floor. There was indeed some messiness here and there in an otherwise well-kept together living space. Needless to say you were happy to not have discovered yourself in some sort of torture dungeon where no one could ever find your body, or what little remained of it.  
  
Just as you managed to climb to your feet, a loud, booming voice called from an adjacent room, almost sending you back to your knees.  
  
"SANS! WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?!"  
  
_And it just keeps getting better._

  
What happened next was nothing short of visual whiplash. You turned and caught sight of a tall, lanky skeleton, adorning a cropped suit of armor reminiscent of something a young trick-or-treater would wear, where, placed atop it was a pink plaid apron stained by some unknown sauce. Or was it blood?  
  
"I SWEAR, IF YOU'RE STARTING ANOTHER NEW PILE OF DIRTY SOCKS I'M GONNA-"  
  
His voice fell upon noticing you. Your whimper was quick and sheepish. When the skeleton came hurdling toward you, your eyes fastened shut, and your hands splayed out in front of you as you braced for impact. But impact never came to greet you.  
  
"Y-YOU!" the skeleton gasped, speechless as he loomed. You lowered your palms, brows quirking.  
  
"YOU'RE...A HUMAN!"  
  
He was pointing at you, his hand concealed by a glove corresponding that of his attire, before he moved onward to point a bulky unseen finger to your captor, who still resided from behind, his hood having fallen since you had last lain eyes on him.  
  
"SANS. BROTHER. WHERE IN THE WORLD DID YOU ACQUIRE A REAL LIFE HUMAN?!"

  
_Oh no._ Your shoulders slumped. You found yourself looking between Sans and the taller skeleton, who you assumed was the Papyrus you'd been hearing so much about.  
  
_These two are brothers?_  
  
And they, like the flowers, had a unique affinity for slaughtering humans.  
  
Just your luck.  
  
When you caught notice of Sans, he was shrugging to himself while casually examining the back of his own bony hand.  
  
"out in the woods, obviously. I was just...well you know, needing to stretch my legs. so I went for another one of my walks. human sort of came out of nowhere, and so I followed suit."  
  
"AGH. TYPICAL," Papyrus grumbled, though it pierced the air like that of a shriek. "I SPEND DAY AND NIGHT HUNTING FOR HUMANS AND HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. YOU LITERALLY FOUND ONE BY SITTING IN PLACE DOING NOTHING. WHICH IS WHAT YOU DO ALL THE TIME ANYWAY!"  
  
Sans snickered. "what can I say? no one's better at doing nothing than me."  
  
Papyrus howled in frustration.  
  
"I COULD GO ON FOREVER ABOUT HOW ANNOYING THAT IS. BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW. WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WE HAVE A HUMAN IN OUR LIVING ROOM, A HUMAN THAT YOU FOUND OUT ALONE IN THE WOODS. YOU MUST BRING HER TO UNDYNE IMMEDIATELY. SHE'LL TAKE IT FROM THERE! THIS IS WHAT SHE’S BEEN WAITING FOR."  
  
"actually, bro, i’ll have to pass on that offer. human's all yours."  
  
Both you and Papyrus gasped in unison, releasing a loud "What?!" together in harmony.  
  
Sans' grin stretched to its limits as amusement befell him, his eyes collapsing halfway. "i think I've done my share of work today. i'm too beat to go back out, much less drag a human with me the whole way. it’s a long walk to the waterfall. you can take it from here. i'm sure undyne will be very proud of you."  
  
Papyrus was speechless, sputtering hopelessly in search of the right words to use. You watched him wide-eyed, hoping someone, _anyone_ in the room would speak some sense. They talked about you like you weren’t present at all, like you were an item, and could be meaninglessly passed from one possessor to the next. It was nothing short of infuriating.  
  
"SANS...DO YOU MEAN IT?" It might have been a mistake of judgement, but he sounded as though he were on the verge of tears. He held a hand back, craning his neck away before theatrically huffing. "NO! I COULD NOT POSSIBLY TAKE CREDIT. THAT WOULD BE SELFISH OF ME. AND THIS IS WAY TOO NOBLE A DEED. I…SIMPLY CANNOT."  
  
"sure you can," Sans pushed, wavering away his brother's grievances. "you wanted to be a member of the royal guard, right? don't you think this should do the trick?"  
  
"IT WILL DO MORE THAN JUST 'THE TRICK.' EVERYONE WILL LOVE ME FOR MY CONTRIBUTION. I'LL MAKE TONS OF FRIENDS. THEY WILL ALL WANT TO KNOW THE SKELETON WHO MANAGED TO CATCH A HUMAN! AND WITHOUT A PUZZLE, TOO."  
  
"then consider this an early christmas gift," Sans winked to him. "you can just call me sansta claus."  
  
Papyrus choked on his words yet again. The empty sockets where his eyes would be curled inward, giving him an expression of flattery. Gratitude, as well.  
  
"SANS, IF THERE WERE AN AWARD FOR BEST BROTHER IN THE UNIVERSE, I WOULD NOMINATE YOU IN A HEARTBEAT. FOR YOU ARE INDEED THE BEST ONE."  
  
Sans held back a cackle. "don't you mean the breast-bone?"  
  
You were instantly made nauseous, by both Papyrus' celebration and Sans' poor attempt at another joke. Somewhere underneath the frustration, your mind was reeling in horror. You weren't sure who Undyne was, but it couldn't have meant anything good for you either way. A human's presence in this world was undoubtedly a very big deal. You assumed Toriel had been trying to protect you from people like this, paired alongside situations with nasty outcomes. So surely what was to become of you would be nothing short of dangerous, possibly lethal.  
  
"Hold up," you interrupted them, lifting your arms out toward both skeletons on either side of you. Papyrus' own hands had been held above his head in an exhilarated cheer before he brought them down slowly, his eye sockets now large and quizzical.  
  
"You can't just take off with me and deliver me to who-knows-who in the middle of who-knows-where. That's barbaric!" you hissed, facing Papyrus before turning to meet eyes with Sans. You were about to go on a long and much-needed rant about how you were a person, with thoughts and emotions, and not some meaningless object to be passed around, stained by the fingerprints of every monster in the underground.  
  
But when Papyrus demanded answers from you, in the fashion of, "AND WHY IS THAT, HUMAN?"  
  
You said the first thing that came to mind without taking time to consider how stupid it sounded out loud.  
  
"Because that's just it! I'm _not_ human!"  
  
The brothers went silent, in both awe and disbelief. You hadn't realized you were close to panting out of desperation, before Papyrus hooted loudly.  
  
"WHAT?!?!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! YOU FIT THE DESCRIPTION OF A HUMAN IN NEARLY EVERY WAY!"  
  
Before you could retaliate, he happened upon you in a manner far too close for comfort. You shrank away.  
  
"YOU HAVE SKIN. YOU HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF SKIN."  
  
You felt said skin turning beet red, particularly in the facial region. You also felt your chances at survival slimming by the numbers.  
  
"HOW COULD YOU NOT BE HUMAN WHEN YOU HAVE THIS MUCH SKIN?!"  
  
You couldn't stop yourself before you nudged him away, taking a step back so that you were facing them both, rather than standing defenselessly between them.  
  
"I-I don't know! How am I supposed to know something like that?!" you gasped. "It's just...you know, the way things are!"  
  
"WELL THEN KINDLY EXPLAIN WHAT YOU ARE THEN, SUPPOSED NON-HUMAN."  
  
"I..." your eyes darted left and right. "I-I'm..."  
  
You thumbed through some of the recent dialogue exchanged between Sans and Papyrus, hoping to latch onto something, _anything_ that could be considered meaty. Which wasn't easy, because they were SKELETONS AND SKELETONS DON'T HAVE MEAT OH MY GOD.  
  
"I'm a FRIEND."  
  
Your shoulders hunched tightly, a heavy breath pulled from your mouth. You zeroed in on the floor before your eyelids fell slack with grief. Embarrassed as you were, you knew disappearing in on yourself wasn't going to happen. You were not a ghost. You were certainly no Napstablook.   
  
When you finally braved lifting your gaze to take in the reactions of your partnered captors, you found they were not ridden with glee at your ridiculous proclamation, but rather...confusion. They were confused as anyone could ever be.  
  
Sans was the first to say something.  
  
"did you say...a  _friend?"_  
  
You nodded, feeling your eyes grow wide at the thought that what you were saying and doing might actually fool them.  
  
"Yes. Yes, that’s exactly what I am."  
  
"NONSENSE!" Papyrus shouted, which meant nothing as he shouted pretty much every word and thought within his skull. "WE KNOW WHAT THE WORD 'FRIEND' MEANS. IT HAS NEVER BEEN DETERMINED TO BE ITS OWN SPECIES. THAT IS NOT IN OUR BOOKS. YOU EXPECT US TO BELIEVE THAT? MALARKEY!”  
  
"No, it's not malarkey!" you obtained the courage to stand up for yourself and your newly created false identity. "It's just the same as things like...uh," your thoughts drifted before piecing together once again, "Well, you know how you use some words like  _honey,_ or _sugar?_  For people, I mean. Those words are used as terms of endearment, right? But honey and sugar do really exist on their own. Still, you can call other people those things when you like them enough. Just like you can with _friends."_  
  
You feigned intelligence when really you were running short on breath. This lie was already coming apart at the seams and it had barely met a chance at fruition. Surprisingly, however, both Sans and Papyrus seemed to be buying into it. Though Papyrus' suspicions were nothing short of obvious. He made them known.  
  
"I SEE....SO THEN, WHERE DID YOU COME FROM, FRIEND?"  
  
You resisted pointing up toward the roof, accentuating that it was in fact somewhere beyond. Somewhere neither of them could comprehend. But that bit of truth had to be kept locked away. You told them the closest thing to the truth that you could muster, as it was important to you that it came across as genuine as possible.  
  
"I don't actually know. I passed out somewhere and can't remember anything before waking up. I've been wandering around these parts ever since. Or, I was...until..."  
  
You then glared at Sans. Though he was still technically smiling, you remembered it was something he couldn't exactly help. His eyes held an emotion quite contradictory to what his teeth expressed. It made you feel a bit small.  
  
"WOW. THIS IS ALL VERY INTERESTING," Papyrus announced, bouncing once on his heels. He turned to glance down at his still dumbfounded brother.  
  
"I MUST SAY, IT WAS A GOOD ATTEMPT, BROTHER, BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO TRY YOUR LUCK AGAIN NEXT TIME. MAYBE THEN YOU'LL FIND A REAL HUMAN, AND NOT A FRIEND."  
  
You couldn’t believe it. Somehow, it had worked. For how long would it work? There was no telling. At least you had bought a little extra time.  
  
Sans still said nothing. Papyrus awaited his response for a few patient seconds before shrugging and heading elsewhere.  
  
"KEEP AN EYE ON THE FRIEND WHILE I CALL UNDYNE AND LET HER KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. A PART OF ME THINKS SHE WOULD STILL WANT TO BE CLUED IN."  
  
_Oh great._ Your insides curdled. _Let's hope this whole facade works on whoever this Undyne character is, too. Otherwise I’m toast. No, worse than toast. Burnt toast. Toast that you'd bury underground._  
  
You were left alone with Sans. A solid minute passed and the two of you merely stared at one another, taking no stab at conversation, while Papyrus' loud chatter became white noise in the background.  
  
And suddenly, he cut the quiet.  
  
"i know you're lying."  
  
The accusation was not nearly as fierce as its implication. It still had a sort of airy charm to it, as the person uttering it didn't seem to harness much weight with anything he said.  
  
You caught yourself smiling as innocently as possible, though there was no denying that your anxiety was raking clawmarks down the inside of your brain.  
  
"What do you mean?" you asked, placing a hand over your chest in false offense. "I would say you already have a lot of nerve hauling me all the way here, to a place I know even less than the one you found me in. But now you have the _nerve_ to call me-"  
  
"a liar?" his head tilted. "yes, actually I do."  
  
You couldn’t even breathe. It felt like the wind had been knocked clean out of you.  
  
"How…rude! I mean...I would never...Friends don't...they don’t..." your spirits dawdled, leaving your tone wimpy, "...lie?"  
  
"you’re right, they don't," he agreed, hostility spiking. "but you do. know why? cecause you're not a _friend._  whatever that even means."  
  
Again, your heart grew rapid. You had no clue what any of this meant for you. Somewhere in the next room, Papyrus was bidding a person goodbye over the phone, Undyne most likely, therefore soon to accompany the both of you once again.  
  
So, for whatever reason, Sans dropped the accusatory front. You crossed your arms and watched him carefully, fighting the urge to shake.  
  
i don't know what you're trying, but if i were you, kid, i'd watch my back."  
  
Though you might have been mistaken, for a split moment the spots in his eyes seemed to flash away like they had when you met him. The chills came back amplified.  
  
"because there’s no way i'm going to be watching it for you."

  
  
  
  
  



	3. Can you knot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's not what you think

It was only a matter of time before luck finally caught up with you and sank its teeth right into your soul. With this situation, the ending of even the slimmest amount of fortune could outright kill you, leave you rotting until you shared the same attributes as the skeletal pair who now had you trapped in their home.  
  
But where they could walk, talk, and make god-awful puns, you'd be an immobile hull. And you'd probably smell way worse, too.  
  
Whoever this Undyne character was, she was, regrettably, not able to make an appearance any time soon. That bought you even more time, sure, but the anticipation of the unknown was enough to make you sick, which didn’t help topping off your already swirling insides. Papyrus, after returning, mentioned how she was far too busy doing some sort of training to pay anyone a visit at the moment.  
  
So, she was a fighter. A fighter who trained. That meant she was probably, no, _definitely_ aggressive.  
  
Those were all things you didn't mesh well with at all.  
  
And then there was Sans, whose warning to you ghosted the moment his brother reappeared in the room. While Papyrus ranted on about Undyne not ever being around when needed, the two of you continued staring hard at the other. Now and then, your own eyes would fleet away out of cowardice and distract themselves with their surroundings, which were warm, if not a tad familiar. But once you swiveled them back to watch after the small skeleton again, he was waiting, ready as ever, the white flecks he called pupils sharp and prominent against the black caverns in his head.   
  
Oh, how something so _not_ terrifying could make your mind and body quiver.  
   
A few minutes had passed and you were left to sit on a sofa you'd never known, knees pulled to your chin while you glared ahead, your focus lost to unseen matter as you tried with everything in you to avoid the wandering gaze of both Sans and Papyrus, the latter of which paced restlessly across the living room floor whilst grinding his teeth together.  
  
"WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH YOU NOW?" Papyrus demanded, stopping only to thrash his arms apart desperately. "IT COULD TAKE HOURS, EVEN DAYS BEFORE UNDYNE DECIDES TO SHOW UP. SHE DIDN'T SEEM VERY INTERESTED IN OUR PREDICAMENT, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY UNLIKE HER. I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THAT TRAINING IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE, BUT STILL..."  
  
"what did you tell her exactly?" asked Sans, finally releasing you from the stubborn tethers of his glare to pin focus unto his taller, possibly elder brother.  
  
"I TOLD HER THAT WE'D COME INTO CONTACT WITH A 'FRIEND.' ONE THAT SHE WOULD PROBABLY REALLY LIKE TO MEET!"  
  
Sans' look, once full and flowing with inquiry, softened to a bit of a lazy, hopeless stare.  
  
"you mean you didn't tell her what this..."friend" looks like?"  
  
"ARE YOU ASKING IF I MENTIONED THE SKIN? NO. I'M AFRAID I DID NOT MENTION THE SKIN. UNDYNE DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE SKIN."  
  
"why not, papyrus?"  
  
"I THOUGHT IT'D BE A GOOD SURPRISE FOR WHEN SHE FINALLY DECIDED TO STOP BY. FOR I, PAPYRUS, TEND TO APPRECIATE SURPRISES OF VARIOUS ILKS."  
  
Beneath the questions flying back and forth, you braved another glance in Sans' direction, watching as he stuffed both hands into his coat pockets, his head dipped low while he muttered something indecipherable. Then his tone rose to a level worth understanding.  
  
"well, bro, maybe you should call her back and explain that-"  
  
"NO WAY," Papyrus cut him short. "SHE SAID IF I DISTURBED HER AGAIN SHE'D NEVER GIVE ME ANOTHER COOKING LESSON. FOREVER. AND THOSE LESSONS ARE..." somehow, a drop of sweat formed and slid down from the skeleton's brow, "...VERY VERY IMPORTANT TO ME."  
  
You shifted awkwardly on the couch cushion, fingers locking together somewhat impatiently. You couldn't help but refer inwardly back to Papyrus' initial question. No new information had been given, meaning you were essentially stuck in this house with two bumbling skeletons. What was meant to happen now?  
  
Maybe...just maybe...they could let you go?  
  
"Well..." you mustered up enough courage to voice it aloud, "...You could always just let me go-"  
  
"nah," Sans said plainly.  
  
"NO WAY!" Papyrus howled in agreement. "NOT BEFORE UNDYNE STOPS BY AND DECIDES WHAT MUST BE DONE. I WOULD NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF IF WE PASSED THIS ALONG WITHOUT HER JUDGMENT."  
  
"But I already told you that I'm not human," the fib welled up bitterly on your tongue. Such a disgusting flavor. Sans' irises burning you from afar did little to help. "Shouldn't that mean I'm technically free to go?"  
  
"NOT!" Papyrus was panting each of his words rhythmically, "UNTIL! UNDYNE! STOPS! BY! AND! DECIDES! THAT! HERSELF!"  
  
Elsewhere, a clock mounted high on the wall bellowed out a deep, slightly drunken chime. The sudden noise hit you, pulling your attention to it while your already galloping pulse slowed back to equilibrium.  
  
It was now eight o' clock at night.   
  
Papyrus looked over his shoulder to acknowledge the time as well. He then knelt slightly to humor his brother's level, lingering close by.  
  
"SANS, IT IS VERY LATE. TIME HAS FLOWN BY QUICKLY SINCE YOU ARRIVED HERE WITH THE FRIEND. WERE YOU NOT GOING TO GRILLBY'S TONIGHT? I KNOW IT WON'T BE OPEN MUCH LONGER."  
  
"actually," the stouter skeleton shut his eyes. He must've not realized this sad twist of events until Papyrus called it to his attention. "change of plans. i'll be staying in tonight. i can't just leave you alone with our little "friend" here. what kind of brother would that make me?"  
  
And then, a single one of his sockets reopened, mimicking a fashion akin to winking, though this was something that came across as sinister.  
  
The expression he wore was heavy with threat, but when he went on to speak his words, his voice was light, as if everything that came out of him was a joke. This was only perpetuated by his, well, perpetual smile.  
  
"we don't know what "friends" do. we only learned about their existence a few minutes ago. what hours do you think they're most active? what are their hunting patterns like? their diet?" He squinted your way, as if awaiting you to do something worth punishment. "are skeletons on the menu?"  
  
"Gross," the edges of your mouth dragged at his offhanded implication. "Do I look like the kind of person who could consume an entire skeleton, let alone two? How would that even work? I already have a skeleton inside me. There would be no room."  
  
A joke met with a joke. It helped ease you a bit at first.  
  
Yet suddenly, silence. It fell so quiet that, if you listened carefully, you could hear the weight of the wind outside and how it teetered every wall on its flimsy supports. Sans and Papyrus froze in place, staring at you like you had serpents for hair.  
  
"was that..." Sans’ grin quirked downward.  
  
"...an _innuendo?"_  
  
You made a face. "N-No? What are you talking about?"  
  
Before you had proper time to access reality, mass chaos ensued, complete with tons of hollering and scrambling. Sans and Papyrus, namely Papyrus, flew into a visible panic. The armored skeleton swept up his brother and they both careened through the kitchen entryway together. Upon disappearing, you punctuated the scene with quizzical silence, before Papyrus emerged seconds later with a frying pan reared back in defense.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU?" he bellowed, taking massive steps in your direction. Before he could come too close, you'd fled the couch and ducked behind it, pressing your backside against it in desperate hopes of disappearing.  
  
"Huh?!" you gasped. "What are you doing?!" Your knees wobbled when you went to lift your head out from safety. "I don't under-AAHH!"  
  
Your confusion crumbled, leaving only sheer bewilderment and a ringing left ear after Papyrus swung, and thankfully failed, to land a hit on you with his pan, instead slamming the metal unto the top of the couch. You bounced away, breathing out heavily.  
  
"IF YOU ARE THE KIND TO DEVOUR SKELETONS, THEN I'M AFRAID THERE IS NOT MUCH I CAN DO. I MUST PROTECT MY HOMEFRONT!" He pelted another empty swing through the air, threatening you as you sank away.   
  
Oh god, was he serious?  
  
"No! I don't eat- oh no no no, you have the wrong idea!"  
  
Another scream, as well as a strategic dodge from the pan. Papyrus was sloppy in his aim, but his gusto was something else entirely.  
  
"YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE," Papyrus declared. "WHY IF WE WERE OUTSIDE, I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO SHOW YOU MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

 

You were sure the town residing outside, the town you had yet to see with your own eyes, could hear every word as it echoed throughout their home.

  
Your held your hands up, quaking terribly.  
  
"P-Papyrus, please just hear me out!" you drew in several breaths, taking another step back. This had been the first time you ever called the skeleton by his first name.   
  
"If you hit me with that, it will cause serious damage! This isn't like fiction, found in books, movies or games, where the victim is knocked unconscious only to wake up unharmed hours later. You could seriously damage me, or my brain!" You pointed a finger toward his pan. "That is _metal!_ Frying pans are made of _metal!"_  
  
Papyrus seemed to lose a bit of confidence in his stance. He faltered, and yet his tone still dripped with a ridiculous amount of vigor.  
  
"OF COURSE. YOU KNOW THIS IS METAL. YOU KNOW THIS IS A FRYING PAN. _WHY?_ BECAUSE YOU USE IT WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR SKELETON SOUP."  
  
"No, dude, NO-"  
  
"I BET YOU DON'T EVEN USE IT FOR SAUCE ON YOUR SPAGHETTI. AND THAT IS TRULY THE GREATEST SIN THAT YOU'VE COMMITTED THUS FAR."  
  
He moved toward you again, eyes narrowed. You were cornered, growing smaller under his shadow as it stretched past the walls behind you.  
  
Your eyes slammed, your palms covering them dramatically. You waited for a hefty blow to the skull you had wrapped under hair and layers upon layers of skin. You waited for it to cave, to crack, for the brain inside it to be made into jelly.  
  
But then.  
  
"that's enough, bro."  
  
Sans was in the kitchen doorway, weight shifted asymmetrically, almost casually, as if he'd been there forever, watching you and his sibling as though it were a Vaudeville act, and only thought to draw the curtain now.  
  
"we don't need to bludgeon the friend. that would be uh, very rude of us."  
  
"BUT SANS!" Papyrus was already lowering the pan, though with very clear hesitation. "YOU HEARD IT YOURSELF. THE FRIEND SAID-"  
  
"i'm sure it was not meant to be taken literally. we can't assume, without evidence, that friends actually eat skeletons. all things considered, could you imagine how _tibia_ -ble we must taste?”  
  
You felt your strength caving at its core, begging for you to collapse to the ground and never recover. If Sans were to keep up puns of this nature, you'd soon find yourself wishing Papyrus had actually gone through with his assault and knocked the stars out of you.  
  
"i really think you should," Sans released a sigh, as if he were exhausted, "just leave her be."  
  
He didn't forget to wink before tacking on, "after all, there's no need to _pan_ -ic."  
  
Papyrus acted as the voice in your head, moaning loudly in agony before dropping the pan in defeat.  
  
"FINE. I GUESS I SEE YOUR POINT," said Papyrus. "I MAY HAVE...ER. OVERREACTED SOME."  
  
"yeah, something like that," Sans rolled his eyes with a hint of playfulness. Meanwhile you were collecting yourself, catching bits of your confidence once again, and your ability to scream.  
  
"besides, we've already made another huge mistake tonight."  
  
Sans then made a noise not unlike a snicker. His eyes moved from his brother to settle on you. You immediately went cold.  
  
"we didn't tie her up the moment she got here."  
  
Exasperated, and also very afraid, you groaned at the distant skeleton.  
  
"You couldn't tie me up because I was in a BAG."  
  
"yeah well, you aren't anymore, so."  
  
When you turned and noticed Papyrus, he was already winding up a rope like a lasso. You winced. Where in the world had he gotten _that?_  
  
"I'M WAY AHEAD OF YOU, SANS! THIS IS WHY WE SHOULD ALWAYS WORK TOGETHER. WHAT WITH YOUR BRILLIANT MIND-"  
  
Papyrus had tossed the loop of the binding in your direction, only for it to fall several inches too short. You stared at the material now lying limp on the floor of the skeleton's home, before your gaze fixed back on the two of them. Talk about anticlimactic?  
  
This was enough fun for one night. The door was _right_ behind you. If you could bring yourself to be nimble, you could slip out before either of these bozos were able to nab you. You would be free.  
  
Such a gamble, though. And you could only survive so long in a world of monsters and snow, without protection, or a coat...  
  
"FORGET IT. TIME FOR PLAN G."  
  
Suddenly you were hoisted into the air by two very large red mits, and held above the head of a rather dorky, sentient skeleton.   
  
"AS IN, PLAN GET-HER-TO-THE-GARAGE-BEFORE-SHE-EATS-US."  
  
The feeling of weightlessness, combined with your serious lack of faith in the skeleton's upper body strength, had you crying out, but also keeping very still. If you flailed, there was a chance he would drop you.  
  
Before you had time to even blink, you were already being carried to another room. It was outside their home, judging by the fleeting instant of cold. You soon found yourself toppling painfully to the floor, the impact on your head barely braced by a thin cushion of sorts.  
  
When you opened your eyes to look around, Papyrus was a few feet away, arms crossed as if admiring his handiwork. The walls around him were splitting, run-down as if having survived a recent storm. Several planks in the floor were nonexistent. The few windows embedded about wore glass that looked ready to shatter at any moment.  
  
You had little time to register the dog bowl sitting nearby you, filled with what looked like stale kibble, when suddenly Sans was directly before you.  
  
You gasped, though it was cut short when you felt a strange pressure on your windpipe. Sans' face hung close, allowing both of you a second to glare at each other just like you had before. The tension was tangible...enough to prick a needle through.  
  
"this should do the trick," he said through his teeth, (could he do anything but?) giving the material in his hand a light tug. Surprisingly, you corresponded the action with a pull in his direction. Your eyes scurried from his bony fingers, down the band he was holding, until it disappeared somewhere under your neck.  
  
He had put you on a leash.  
  
The white circuits in Sans' eyes were bright, almost painful to look at, before he resigned and went to stand by his brother. Your leash was tied to what looked like fencing with very wide gaps in between. It resided near the door, but not close enough for you to even graze it with your fingertips.  
  
"ANOTHER STROKE OF BRILLIANCE, BROTHER," said Papyrus, clasping his hands joyfully. "NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE FRIEND RUNNING AWAY."  
  
You stared at them, feeling an incredible wash of shame, like you were being degraded. Which, you were, in a way. You grabbed hold of the leash on your neck and yanked fruitlessly.  
  
"sorry, kid, but that's the kind of knot I don't think even a friend can undo."  
  
You looked up at Sans, brows downturned. You were at a loss for words.  
  
"INDEED,” Papyrus chirped, “FOR IT IS A KNOT TIED TOGETHER BY MAGIC."  
  
Sans chuckled to himself. "it's to make sure that you can- _knot_ get away."  
  
_I'm going to kill them._  
  
"SAY, SANS, YOU SURE ABOUT NOT GOING TO GRILLBY'S TONIGHT? EVERYONE IS WAITING FOR YOU, AFTER ALL."  
  
"eh. I guess it's safe to go now. but only if you come with," Sans shot his brother a friendly glance, hoping he would oblige.  
  
"WHY YES," the lanky skeleton was enthralled. "I WOULD VERY MUCH LOVE TO COME WITH. AS MUCH AS I HATE GREASE...SOMETIMES THE ENTIRE TOWN OF SNOWDIN GATHERS THERE AND THEY ALWAYS WANTS TO TALK TO YOU. IF I'M WITH YOU, THEY MIGHT TALK TO ME TOO. IT'LL BE LIKE HAVING A WHOLE BUNCH OF FRIENDS AT MY DISPOSAL."  
  
Papyrus gave you a short, daunting look.  
  
“NO OFFENSE TO YOUR KIND.”  
  
And then, they were out the door without so much as a bidding goodbye. You fell back hopelessly, breathing as hard as the leash would allow you. It was much colder in here, and the lights were flickering ominously. You were alone, captive, and this room was your prison.  
  
_I can't believe this._ Your heartbeat grew rapid. _They’re treating me literally like a dog. How long will I be stuck here? Why, I could go hungry. I could die of thirst. There's nowhere suitable to even sleep comfortably. And this is all before that Undyne person comes along and figures out that not only do I exist, but I've lied to them._  
  
And so you decided, no, it would not end this way. At least not this easily. Knots made by magic could only hold back a frantic human for so long. Sure, you weren’t equipped with any sort of magic to counteract it, but you had something else. Something raw, and powerful. You were in no state of mind, however, to pair a word with whatever it was.  
  
All you could focus on was using it, harnessing it, and finding escape as soon as possible.


	4. French Fries

Though, maybe you should have considered that even with all the willpower in the world, you'd still be as hapless as a fish out of water.  
  
"Come on," your teeth were gnarled together, ghosts of would-be swears seeping out from them any time you stopped to suck in another ragged breath. You had been yanking at the leash for roughly an hour, both hands wrapped at the base in an unforgiving vice after a much earlier hour had been wasted trying to manually pick apart the knots one by one. Your fingers ached when you unfurled them, while the undersides were tinged red from the fabric sliding in and out of your grip. You weren't left with any painless alternatives, and so you bit back one of your many hisses and tugged harder.  
  
This just wasn't your night.   
  
 _Sooner or later, it's got to budge. At least budge, right? A little progress is better than no progress at all, right? Riiiight?_  
  
The room was freezing, so much so that your every short breath you took came out a misty puff. Somehow, though, you were sweating from head to toe. A swell of fire began somewhere in your throat before moving lower to radiate in your belly.  
  
"You stupid..." you tugged, growling quietly, "Stubborn..." another tug, "No good," tug, "Worthless," tug.  
  
When suddenly, you heard voices scattering outside, muffled by both walls and a sea of wintery froth. You listened closely, realizing there were two of them. Both unbearably familiar.  
  
"...Skeletons!" You gasped before falling backward in surprise, staring at the door with bulging eyes. You half expected them to burst back in, both wielding frying pans. Imagination insisted the pans would be ten times larger and lined with blades.  
  
In your moment of surprise, you had clumsily moved at such a distressing angle, so sharply too, that the pie and candy you'd collected from Toriel's home fell to the floor beside you.  
  
While the sweets were wrapped in shiny plastic and kept safe, even if you could hear a few audibly breaking, the pie was no longer salvageable. One wet splat later and it had been reduced to mush. You glared at it sadly, your tummy rumbling and twisting with anguish, before you whipped your head back to its initial direction, panic starting yet again.   
  
Talk about adding insult to injury, no?  
  
Oh forget that. What good was pie in these circumstances? To think what those monsters would do if they caught you trying to escape. Would they try and punish you? What if they tied you outside in the snow to freeze? Ah heck, with how pointless your attempts had been, they probably wouldn't even care. You'd be sooner laughed at before subjected to torture.  
  
Somewhere beneath all those cartwheeling thoughts, you kept yourself quiet in order to hear their conversation, even if what you picked up on started somewhere in its middle, leaving no room for context.  
  
"I AM NOT ENTIRELY SURE," you heard what was most definitely Papyrus shout, "HOW YOU MANAGE TO KEEP SO NONCHALANT IN SUCH A THREATENING ENVIRONMENT."  
  
"what do you mean?" Now Sans spoke, casual as ever. In what little time you'd gotten to 'know' him, you expected no less.  
  
"YOU SAW ALL THOSE DOGS IN THERE, DID YOU NOT? GATHERED AROUND THE POKER TABLE? I SWEAR WHEN THEY WEREN'T GAMBLING DOG TREATS THEY WERE EYEING MY BONES. I COULD NOT BE MISTAKEN. THERE WAS HUNGER IN THEIR BEADY LITTLE EYES."  
  
"well, you _were_ next to me, at the bar, where Grillby was serving food. They were probably just looking at that."  
  
"SANS, FOR THE LAST TIME, CONDIMENTS ARE NOT A FOOD." Papyrus was flustered. "AND NEITHER IS ANY OF THE SLOP THAT CONFOUNDED GRILLBY SERVED. NOT THAT I MEAN ANY DISRESPECT, BUT...HIS _TASTES_...HIS UTTER LACK OF CULINARY PROWESS. I COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE ITEM ON THE MENU NOT SWIMMING IN GREASE, EXCEPT MILK. AND WATER. _SUPPOSEDLY._ I KNOW NOT EVERYONE HAS THE DEDICATION TO BECOME A PRODIGY LIKE ME, BUT..."  
  
There was a pause before the lanky skeleton made a noise very reminiscent to that of an _Aha!_  
  
"SEE, LOOK THERE! YOUR TAKEOUT BAG IS DRENCHED AT THE BOTTOM. WHAT WAS I LITERALLY JUST SAYING? WHY ARE ALL THE SOLIDS THERE DRIPPING WITH GROSS LIQUIDS? IT'S JUST LIKE THAT AWFUL RED STUFF YOU GUZZLE ALL THE TIME. MAKES ME SICK TO MY STERNUM."  
  
Your stomach knotted up at his remark. What red stuff? He couldn’t have been talking about blood, could he?  
  
You heard a chuckle tumble from Sans. Now you were sitting cross-legged, leaning forward ever so slightly.  
  
"don't hate on my fries," Sans stated plainly.  
  
"I WILL HATE ON YOUR FRIES UNTIL MY DYING BREATH. I AM APPALLED THAT YOU WOULD EVEN CONSIDER BRINGING SUCH A BREACH OF ARTISTRY INTO THE BIRTHPLACE OF ALL MY TREASURED MASTERPIECES." Papyrus was clearly fuming at this point. "WHAT IF IT TAINTS SOMETHING? OR WORSE, WHAT IF THE GREASE IS LIKE GLITTER AND DOESN'T COME OFF ANYTHING EVER? CAN YOU IMAGINE? GREASE AND GLITTER, TOGETHER AT LAST TO CREATE THE MOST TERRIFYING AND RELENTLESS OF EVILS."  
  
Everything Papyrus said was so grand and large in metaphorical scale. You had to remind yourself he was just talking about a bag of fast food. If you hadn't been a prisoner, you may have found something about their banter amusing.  
  
"evil is a bit of a strong word," his brother noted playfully. "So could you _grease_ not use it?"  
  
Quietly you groaned, Papyrus following suit with some much more...er, ear-splitting results.  
  
"I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOUR JOKES. I'VE PUT UP WITH ENOUGH FOR ONE NIGHT." His shrieking softened, only barely becoming something more lighthearted. "I DID MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDS, SO I KNOW IT WAS NOT FOR NOTHING. EVEN THOUGH I'M SURE NINETY PERCENT OF THEM WANT TO MUNCH MY BONES, THEY WERE SOME NICE PEOPLE."  
  
"you also went through like ten glasses of milk, so you should wake up tomorrow stronger than ever," Sans said encouragingly. "you did great tonight, bro. i'm sure everyone got a kick out of you."  
  
Papyrus gasped. "REALLY, SANS? YOU MEAN IT? I CERTAINLY HAD MY DOUBTS."  
  
"'course I mean it. for once you actually hung out with us instead of just showing up to haul me out. i could tell the fellas took to you well, love for bones notwithstanding."  
  
Your anxiety flatlined upon realizing that really, truly, both these skeletons were just a couple of brotherly dorks, and probably couldn't do anyone much harm even if they tried. Not intimidating on their own, sure, but one glance down at the leash reminded you that it was their confusing actions that rattled you in the first place.  
  
Still, one had an affinity for bad food and the other was obsessed with popularity amongst peers? They weren't skeletons. They were teenage girls.  
  
You scooted back a foot, eyeing the door suspiciously. Your stomach gurgled again, this time louder than before, and you couldn't help but be thankful no one was around to hear it and throw teases your way. Your hand wandered absent-mindedly until it found one of the many candies fallen like marbles. You swiftly unwrapped it and popped it in your mouth. It was junk, sure, but it was a much preferred alternative to the dog food.  
  
"WELL IT'S A WONDERFUL THING, KNOWING THE CITIZENS OF SNOWDIN FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT ME. ABOUT US. I MUST SAY, IT'S LIKELY THEIR OPINIONS WOULD SHIFT EVER SO SLIGHTLY IF THEY FIND OUT WE'RE DIRTY ROTTEN KIDNAPPERS."  
  
You almost swallowed the candy whole in surprise. It remained centered on your tongue, unmoving. Your heartbeat quickened in pace.  
  
"right, so uh, maybe you shouldn't be yelling that out here. keep it on the d.l. and all that."  
  
"YOU HAVE A POINT. MY APOLOGIES."  
  
Sans huffed, and through observatory listening you realized that despite their conversation's change in tone, it sounded as though he hadn't quite lost his blissful carelessness.  
  
"it's fine, no one's out here anyway. they're all in bed by now. we should be doing the same."  
  
Another pause, before the skeleton added, "right after I finish these fries."  
  
"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF-" Papyrus' glee had dissolved back into frustration. "I SUGGEST YOU EAT THEM OUT HERE, BROTHER. FAR FROM THE LIKES OF MY FOOD MUSEUM. OR THE LIVING ROOM. YOU WILL GET CRUMBS AND GREASE STAINS _EVERYWHERE."_  
  
"wouldn't have it any other way, bro."  
  
"AND WHAT OF THE FRIEND? THE ONE IN OUR GARAGE?"  
  
Sans chuckled. You were one room away, trembling nervously.  
  
"yeah, _that_ one. don’t stress it. i'll check on ‘em before i come up to read you your story. that cool?"  
  
"YES. FINE."  
  
Then there were footfalls crunching through the snow in a unison without rhythm, until one pair disappeared behind the creak of a heavy door, while the other stalled before dawdling aimlessly, spacing each step with ominous silence.  
  
You heard what could only have been the rustling of a paper bag, followed by a long, gravely sigh. You were frozen in place, afraid that if you so much as lifted a finger, you might miss whatever was coming next.  
  
The footsteps suddenly came creeping closer. They moved swiftly, without grace, gaining on the doorway that led to where you sat helpless, candy stuck between your teeth. You heard what he had said about paying you a visit, and still you were so unprepared. Didn't he say he was going to eat first?  
  
There was the sound of keys, and suddenly the lock on the door was being fidgeted with. Your worries were all but confirmed. You sprang backward, terrified, smashing more of the candy with the weight of your frantic palms.  
  
When Sans opened the door, there was a fleeting second of eeriness, where his eyes met yours almost instantly, and he said nothing at all. He searched the messy ground while the door slammed behind him. You cringed, and when he remained as expressionless as a skeleton could manage, you shrank away, hugging your middle out of desperation for comfort.  
   
“what happened in here?” he asked, looking back to you. “we're gone for maybe two hours, and you somehow turned into an even bigger slob than me in that time.”  
   
You didn’t have it in you to explain yourself, or the pie and candies he was referring to. You remembered what he had said to you when Papyrus left both of you alone in their house. Now that the red clad skeleton was gone for sure, and there were nobody present to see what happened next, you were unsure what Sans would do being he was unsupervised.  
  
He strode over to you, his feet oddly quiet as they pattered the floor. You realized then, at ground-level, that he was wearing pink house slippers. You watched them tentatively until they appeared directly before you. You forced yourself to look up to Sans, who glared down at you like you were a wounded doe, his misleading smile framed by the faux fur of his parka.   
  
A flash of brown, and suddenly you were face to face with a crumpled bag only mere inches away from your nose.  
  
"here," Sans said quietly, in a tone completely rigid and without friendliness. Much different than how he'd been just minutes ago with his sibling.  
  
You blinked several times, unable to process the gesture.  
  
"Huh?" you pressed meekly. The skeleton breathed out, clearly wishing you'd spare him the awkwardness.  
  
 _"here,"_ he repeated, his head tilting, as if you were the oddest thing. "these are for you."  
  
 _For me?_ You still didn't quite understand. Well sure, you understood that he was giving you food, but you couldn't for the life of you figure out why. Didn't he claim to see through your lies earlier? Had he not sworn he wouldn't ever be there to 'watch your back?' So what was this all about?  
  
Lips pursed, you accepted the offer with quivering hands, the tops of which had paled from the cold.  
  
"your hands are pretty red," you heard him say faintly. "you...kind of look a mess."  
  
It killed you that he noticed, so much so that you avoided touching on it at all. What good would it do you to admit that you tried undoing his magical leash with your tiny little human hands? None. So wordlessly, you brought the bag to your lap where you opened it with slight greediness before peering in at the contents.  
  
A bunch of yellow, thickly cut fries.   
  
You were in no shape to deny food, even if it was coming from Sans. While throwing him a suspicious upward glance, you swallowed the sugary remnants of the candy that had long melted away in your mouth, slid a hand into the bag and extracted a handful of fries, using your other hand to pick from the pile and feed them to your mouth.  
  
Still crispy. Decently salted. The ebbing aftertaste of sweetness didn’t really compliment them, but it was exactly that. Ebbing.  
  
It wasn't anything you could live off of forever, but it was far from tasting bad.  
  
"…Thank you," you said with an air of stubbornness. The leash's role in all this wasn't helping in making you feel any less like some sort of confined animal. The skeleton shook off your gratefulness.  
  
"you don’t have to thank me. i was just hanging with some of my buddies when i thought, hey, there’s a hostage tied up in my garage. she’s probably hungry. and to be honest, there's no use in you being hungry. so i asked Grillby to bag something up for me, and he didn’t mind at all. it was that easy. ain’t no bones about it.”  
  
You shriveled at that word. _Hostage._ He threw it around so casually too. At least it was better than being called a dog. But still not good enough for your standards.  
  
"My name is Y/N," you mustered up the courage to correct him, hoping it didn't sound nearly as bratty to him as it had to your own ears.   
  
"i didn't ask," Sans responded in uncaring jest. You frowned and swallowed another mouthful of food.  
  
"No you didn't, but...I think it's also better to know the name of your...uh, _hostages_ , rather than not know at all."  
  
You quickly bit into another fry. A flush crept up your neck and blossomed across your face. Your eyes found interest in the mangled wall while Sans watched you from overhead, making you feel even smaller. You hoped he wouldn’t have some demented interest in slapping that on some dog tags before gifting them to you on a collar.  
  
"hm, gotta say, that’s a nice name you got," he said, his gaze retreating only for him to take a step back and lean against the railing where your leash was tethered. Rather than humor him a reply, you kept your eyes busied with the french fries, plunging your fingers in yet again to retrieve some more. They were almost all gone.  
  
"kind of weird though," he said, more to himself than you. That didn't stop you from reacting. Your eyebrows turned down.  
  
"How is it any weirder a name than _Sans?"_ you asked, genuinely curious. "Or _Papyrus?"_  
  
"i wouldn't say those are all that weird. i bet they even use words like that on the surface."  
  
You grimaced. He had a point, and you hated it.   
  
"yours, though? y/n?" he sounded it out slowly while making a face. "i've never even heard of something like that before. but what can I say," the pinpricks in his eyes darted toward you, diminishing.   
  
"humans always did have the strangest names."  
  
You'd been going for the last of the fries when you paused, eyes lifting and analyzing the stout skeleton with sudden intrigue. Your nerves were set alight by horror, and though it shook you to your core, the sensation was significantly lessened compared to your first encounter with it back in the woods.  
  
You thought up a million things you could say, or what actions you could opt for next. Should you deny his accusations? Now may have been your only chance. Do you admit to your wrongdoing and plead for mercy? Was it too late to throw the bag aside and charge him? Fight him, and maybe go for the keys he had in his pocket? Or hold his magic captive and use it to free yourself? You imagined it in your head, and only in the realm of your wildest fantasies did you see it actually go according to plan.  
  
So instead, you pushed the remaining fries away, rising to your feet so that you were now the one towering Sans, even if it was from a distance.  
  
"If you wanted to kill me, why haven't you done it already?" you asked, heart pounding as you gestured around you, and then to the leash. "I mean, is all this really necessary?"  
  
"heh. well, sure it is. gotta keep you strapped down somehow, don't we? and never mind us; undyne will be the one who ends up killing you. no need to get my hands dirty," he said indifferently, his eyes closing only for him to lazily peek at you through one. "besides, i knew Papyrus would be thrilled to meet you, a real human. just like the ones he's read about in storybooks, or watched in those weird cartoons. it's all he's ever talked about.'course you had to go and ruin it with that little speech you made about being a 'friend.'"  
  
"But that's just it. Your brother thinks I'm not really human," you said, glaring at Sans. He examined the fronts of his fingers, playing up his disinterest.  
  
"my brother doesn't know any better."  
  
"And Undyne, what about her? Whoever she is, when she sees me, what if she thinks the same thing?"  
  
Sans sneered. "undyne's not like that. she'll catch on just as quickly as i did, meaning instantly, and take care of things from there."  
  
"And if she doesn't?"  
  
His eyes flashed to you, the little white knots flaring. He said nothing in retaliation, perhaps figuring the argument was too stupid to even uphold.  
  
"Look," you breathed out, defeat pawing at your heart. "If I wanted to be enemies with all of you, I would have introduced myself as such. Not as a friend," your eyes narrowed at him. "I have every right to be mad at you, and hate you, and no amount of french fries can change that. You kidnapped me. And now you're practically dangling me over a fire."  
  
His expression was unchanging.  
  
"But," you continued before he had a chance to silence you, "It's not a fight I'm looking for. Sure, I may have lied to save my own skin, but that doesn’t mean I’m out for anyone's blood. I wouldn't use my freedom to hunt after you, or your brother, or any person that lives down here. I just want to make it through here, preferably in one piece. I don't know what comes next, but I could figure things out from there. I don't hate any of you. I have no desire to cause any of you pain."  
  
Maybe, just maybe, you should have listened to Toriel and stayed with her. Maybe the flower even had a better idea of how the underground ticked than you did.  
  
Kill or be killed, was it?  
  
The way that flower spoke to you, the things he said, it was like he knew secrets you weren't ready for. But that wasn't important to you. All you wanted was to survive. You’d keep fighting fate, whatever _fate_ was. That synergy from before was welling up inside you again. No one was there to save you. No one could. Your fate, your _destiny,_ was in your own human hands.  
  
"Please, just tell me," there was the sudden urge to cry, but you kept it at bay. "Why are you doing this to me? Why do all you monsters...hate humans like me so much?"  
  
Sans had been quiet, drinking in every word you said like he actually gave a damn, until now. His attention was shattered. He snapped his head toward you, eyes wide, grin quivering at the corners as if he was struggling to draw it slack.  
  
"are you kidding me?" he said it in a hush, wearing a voice crossed between amusement and bewilderment. "are you really going to pretend you don't know the answer to that?"  
  
When you could only stare back at him, still at a complete loss for words, he laughed at you.   
  
"oh man, you're hilarious. i wouldn’t put it past you to be dumb as a rock, but there's no way you're that ignorant."  
  
"Please, Sans," your teeth were near chattering. "I really don't know what this is about. I don't understand any of this. I don't....know...why I'm here."  
  
"neither do i, but that's beside the point." The skeleton then motioned a single finger toward the ceiling. "you're from the surface, right? you tripped down a hole leading into the mountain, and that's how you ended up here in the first place, _right?"_  
  
"Yes," you nodded, still confused. "I know I came from up there. I know that down here is not where I belong. But I can't remember myself before then. I might have hit my head really hard when I fell, because I know about my past just as much as you do."  
  
"...you're human, though," Sans' kept his jaw plastered shut. "it should all be hardwired in that brain of yours. where you came from. who you are. your own name. it’s y/n, yeah? or did you make that up too?"  
  
"No, I didn’t. I know my name," you said defensively. "But that's where it ends. I don't know who gave it to me. I remember my world being spotted with humans. I remember basic emotions, basic functions, the blueprints of what life is and what it's all about. But I don't know much else. So no, I have no clue why monsters and humans live apart, why they’re separated into two different domains. I don’t get why monsters see humans as a threat, or vice versa. I'm drawing a blank here."  
  
You knew Sans was frustrated with you, but that meant nothing as of now. You couldn't hold him accountable, for you were angry too. Though you had no bumps or pain to show for it, something was very clearly wrong with your head. Every memory you tried grasping onto slipped through your fingers. Every moment of your past you tried to give color turned white before your eyes. Amnesia was too powerful a thing. You could only wonder now, if it would ever lift away, before any of them had a chance to kill you.  
  
"Will you..." you looked away from the skeleton, feeling shame. "Will you at least tell me?"  
  
"tell you what."  
  
"Tell me about humans and monsters?"  
  
At this, Sans promptly stomped out the way he had come, throwing the door open. You gasped.  
  
"Wait!" you called. "Don't leave now!"  
  
He might have been the only one who could give you answers. Why would he abandon such opportunity? Was it just to see you suffer?  
  
Your pleas seemed to slow the monster down. He looked over his shoulder at you, shooting you a final glare through one eye. He appeared solemn.  
  
“once upon a time, i might not have cared about capturing humans like you."  
  
Your eyes fluttered, as that statement had a strange amount of weight to it. He looked ahead, staring out into the snow, drawing a deep breath.  
  
“times have _changed._  understand?”  
  
You watched him, lip shaking.  
  
“...why?”

Subject dropped.  
  
"i'll be back in the morning to check on you. don't get yourself into any more trouble."  
  
He then shut his eyes. When you said nothing more, he reeled in a shallow breath.  
  
"okay?"   
  
He spoke softly, his words light enough to crumble like cake. This time, instead of awaiting your reply, he stepped back out into the cold, closing the door behind him. It locked instantly.  
  
You were left alone again, shaking.  
  
You were silent again, with only your thoughts for company.  
  
Shaking...  
  
It no longer had anything to do with the cold.

**Author's Note:**

> oh boy


End file.
